It was an afternoon to forget for British sports reporter Martin Brundle as he hilariously interviewed the wrong person at the Miami Grand Prix.
Brundle, 62, is well known for walks along the grid before Formula 1 races start and usually talks to some of the drivers and team bosses on TV.
On Sunday, the commentator, who began Formula One coverage in 1997, managed to interview several A-list celebrities at Sunday’s racing event, including former First Lady Michelle Obama, David Beckham, Venus and Serena Williams, DJ Khaled and Pharrell Williams.
Brundle then thought he had bumped into another household name in 2020 Super Bowl champion and Kansas City Chiefs quarter Patrick Mahomes, even yelling out ‘Patrick,’ and chasing him.
He eventually managed to get to his target, asking the man about the atmosphere at the event, which was being attended by around 250,000 people.
He replied: ‘This is crazy. I’ve never been to an F1 race so this is spectacular,’ before adding: ‘You can see, they’re locked in. It reminds me of myself.’
At that point, Brundle was told in his ear that he had made an honest mistake and was actually interviewing Duke Blue Devils basketball star and upcoming NBA draft prospect Paolo Banchero.
‘It’s not Patrick, that’s why he ignored me,’ Brundle told a Sky Sports camera that followed him into the crowd next to the race track.
‘What is your name, sir?’ he then asked, before apologizing: ‘Well I thought I was talking to somebody else, I’m sorry about that.’
After the awkward moment had spread on social media, Banchero took to Twitter to describe his mood: ‘I’m just vibing right now man.’
And although it remains unclear if Mahomes knew of the interaction before the tweet was shared, he reacted by adding: ‘Bro ain’t no way (four laughing emojis).’
Banchero is an Italian-American basketball player. He played college basketball for for the Duke Blue Devils through the 2021-2022 season, leading them to the final four of March Madness before crashing out after a loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Projected to be a top-three pick in the next, 2022 NBA draft, he was a came into college as a five-star recruit and is now one of the top players in the 2021 class. He was also named the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2022.
Over his first and only year in college, Banchero averaged 17.2 points along with 7.8 rebounds at the tender age of 19. He also officially announced his eligibility for the NBA Draft in April, putting an end to his short-lived college career.
Mahomes was also part of the sell-out crowd, but did not bump into Brundle during the event.
Brundle did manage to speak with three-time PGA tour winner Ian Poulter right before the Formula One race started and managed to get close to Lando Norris’ car. Norris was the only British participant at the race.
Formula One world champion Max Verstappen ended up winning the inaugural event. He slashed slashed Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc’s overall lead from 27 to 19 points in the competition’s standings after five races.
Leclerc finished a fighting second, 3.786 seconds behind after starting on pole position, with Spanish team mate Carlos Sainz completing the podium at the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium.
The victory was the Verstappen’s third of the season, and second in a row, and he made it happen with a crucial overtake around the outside on Sainz at the start to seize second place before blasting past Leclerc on the ninth of the 57 laps.